The Lucha Libre Thread

[Vamp]

Watching AAA is weird because they don't use the same guys as well as lucha underground, they've basically lost their big stars through various reasons and now have to rely on the least reliable person ever (Dr. Wagner) and there's no forward momentum whatsoever. I know that everything promising they had last year got fucked up because of various reasons but it still doesn't seem like they've turned the corner at all. They just really need to freshen things up.

[Merzbow]

I shouldn't complain as it's free but whoever recorded this weeks episode needs to be shot, so many pixels it looks like a NES game.

[chokeout]

 

25 years ago, I'd have killed to see what voodoo nonsense Papa Shango got up outside the ring. What The Undertaker and Paul Bearer were doing. The backstory of the Berzerker... And that's what this is. It's wrestling taken to its logical conclusion: who are these people, what are these people, where did they come from, why are they fighting, and why are these matches being made?

 

But, if it's not for you, it's not for you.

 

Oh yeah, you're right - I loved Jake locking the Undertaker in the casket. I also loved OMG becoming Akeem. That was goofy stuff alright and I liked it a lot. So, in principle, I don't have any problem with the idea of wacky stuff. Perhaps it's more the execution. I find most of the skits awful. I did find Texan's funny though where he beat up the two guys and then sucked down his beer only to squash his glass in his fist because he's a goddamn manly man, that was great! More of that, less of the Sexy Star piss poor acting. Maybe if there writing staff could be better.

 

The show should be for me. I've been watching lucha on and off for 23 years now. Doesn't make me an expert or anything, but it proves I want to watch it! And I'll give any lucha show a chance.

 

 

It's been around for over a year and Cornette's the only one who thinks it's rubbish and that their business plan is awful? If it's compared to any other promotion that ever existed, that was created to engage an audience so much that they pay money, how does it fare then?

It's business plan is different from traditional wrestling shows because it's specifically a TV show, not a wrestling promotion. It's plan is to provide high quality TV which leads to good ratings first and foremost. Everything else is distant second. They don't run live events and the TV tapingd are free. They aren't run like a wrestling promotion. They are run like any other TV drama. It's run by executive producers. Currently it gets low ratings but this is due to being on a relatively new TV station that isn't available or known to a lot of the US. They have already been renewed for season 3 so arguably their business model IS working as any TV shows goal is to last as long as possible.

 

 

They're not going to get very far though with this model are they? Historically it hasn't worked so well. Jarrett is trying to do the same thing, except pinching pennies and not gambling all their money up front like these guys. 

 

Take up business wise is almost stagnant for these guys and the loss of a Mexican TV deal is a bad sign. So are the other money problems and inability to keep top names (despite the seven year contract things). What's the delay in selling this show around the world? Is it on anywhere else but El Rey and TLN in Canada? The season 3 tapings might be the last if they don't start earning something soon.

 

 

It's actually a far easier model to market to TV networks than something like Raw or TNA. they are making enough episodes to sell as a package and are selling it as a full season (Like a normal TV show) This means they don't have to worry about ratings. Ideally they are probably hoping to get 4 seasons which would give them enough episodes to sell it into syndication.

[FUM]

Only just caught up with episode 3 there, an improvement on the previous episode and that bump was fucking brilliant.

 

I'm not a big fan of the whole intergender matches but can see what they're trying to do.

 

Good to see Joey Ryan pop up at the end too.

 

Tried to watch last nights episode there on Kodi but it kept buffering, hopefully a better link is up soon.

[Ambulance Chaser]

Jesus Pentagon got elevated there. Cracking match that was.

[LaGoosh]

That moonsault being blocked with a dropkick was BEAUTIFUL. Good match and I'm intrigued to see where the Pentagon story goes. It seems he's lost his way and his master needs to remind him of what he needs to do. Joey Ryan is fantastic as the sleaziest guy ever. And I miss Dario. Need more Dario in my life.

 

And is it just me or does the roster seem a bit thin compared to last season? I feel like they need 4-5 more solid guys.

[PunkStep]

Joey Ryan might be my favourite thing in wrestling at the moment. I first saw him in TNA a while ago (why didn't he stick around there?) and have only seen the odd clip since, mostly involving his powerful penis. Love his image in every way- the hair, tache, chest rug, insane amount of oil, his gear- just absolute sleaze.

 

His mannerisms are great too, he really carries his gimmick into his matches as well- something so many wrestlers fail to do. As said last week, his good cop bad cop partnership with Reyes could be gold.

[Carbomb]

I hated Ryan until he showed up in TNA with the super-sleaze gimmick, which was awesome. He didn't stick around because TNA just didn't seem to know what to do with him.

[PunkStep]

TNA just didn't seem to know what to do with him.

What a shocker

[paltaper]

Bengala has some good meat on him these days.

[Vamp]

That's a different Bengala isn't it? Or has it never been Ricky Marvin in Lucha Underground?

[CavemanLynn]

Bengala is embarrassing, not the kind of thing you want to see when you've been hyping LU to mates as a quality wrestling show.

 

Reyes is wooden as fuck, but Ryan is gold - "Right in his face! Right in his face!" Loved Stryker's line too that "even I'm not THAT creepy" - nice bit of self-awareness.

 

Angelico was on fire. Sometimes his gangliness can look awkward, but he was the star of the six-man - his hop-over springboard knee was wicked. I've no time for Texano though.

 

Loved the Mundo as Hollywood Bruce Lee vignette.

 

Pentagon vs Puma was a proper main event, and the fact that they've given Vampiro a face reason to go dark by needing to help a fan favourite get his edge back, but possibly at the risk of losing his sanity again, is a cool twist that epitomises what this show does differently to everything else out there.

 

Rey Rey as MMA Yoda is YET ANOTHER example of great characterisation. LU really does breathe new life into damn near everyone it touches. Even The Mack looks like he's getting a high-stakes lower-card feud.

 

Intriguing to hear about the Seven Tribes. Have we seen all of their warriors yet, or are there more to come? Puma, Fenix, Aerostar...?

[ultimo the great]

Not trying to sound funny, but does anybody actually watch the lucha libre from Mexico anymore? 

 

I never thought I'd see the day when you can see almost every show live, or a few days later and almost all in HD. Good times. Well, it'd be better if it was 1992 but what can you do

ME!! AAA every Saturday on there YT, most/selected CMLL matches (far too many to watch all) and the odd Chilanga Mask/LuchaMemes that pops up.

 

The first Lucha i ever saw was on a Barnett comp in 2002, it looked like shit but i didn't care. now i bitch that AAA have only put up 480p this week

 

Oh and if anybody's wondering what Mistico/Sin Cara/Myzteziz/Caristico is up to these days, he's apparently gone from never being allowed back to having the book for Arena Mexico's Sunday shows billed as Elite. And yes, I had to copy and past "Myzteziz"

 

Here he is from Sunday vs. La Mascara:

I haven't watched the La Mascara match yet but so far back in mexico he's looked a shadow of how great he was before going to WWE. Needs to trim down quick. His match with Rush was a lot of fun though.

 

 

Bengala has some good meat on him these days.

There are several guys with AAA who are looking porky. Zorro, Chessman, Mesias looks like he's pregnant

 

Both CMLL/AAA are mixed for quality, i don't go around highly recommending them each week and honestly both are a mess but i still have fun with some of the guys who work for them and also get to bitch and moan at some of the shit both have. WCW in 2016.

[Linus]

So it's basically me, Niall & Lee who watch the lucha. Real en Mexico.

[ultimo the great]

RIM was a brotherhood, it runs deep...